Steam pad



A. COLONNA July 8, 1952 STEAM PAD Filed Oct. 21. 1949 In rentar Ange/0 Calo/ma Patented July 8, 1952 2,602,66 'STEAM PAD I ngel@ encima, Philadelphia, Pa.

1, 1949 serial No. 122,661

yApplication October'Z This invention relates generally. to v:stainless sheet. steel and metal specialties,.useiiiin .asso- .ciation with food and beverage service equipment on railroad diners, inzrestaurants .and :kitchens witlr available steam supply means and relates more particularly to 'azsteam heated food warmingpad constructionwhereiny a wall portion ofa vessel :is combined lwith a vplate of "novelfcharacter to providea vsteam circulator;unit having circuitouswpassages between the plate andthe wall of the rvessel, wherebyS live steam maybe efectively circulated through fthe passagestoheat'the vessel for miscellaneous kitchen requirements. A basic object of this invention is to prQvide a plate of a speciai configuration Ladapted rto coact with `a wallof a vessel Yin creating-aA steam heated hot pad for heating such vessels -as 'sinks,.kett les, vats, vegetable Steamers, bathtubs, and the like.

Another object of this invention Ais to provide a device whichmay be easily attached to many different types of vessels to replace conventional steam coils ordinarily located on the inside or bottom of thevessel, which construction makes it dilcult 'to maintain the lvessel in a sanitary condition, while the discomfort and actual danger of injury to theattendant is-considerably greater when this conventional type of heating means is used. l v

. Still another objectof thisinvention-is to provide a steam pad construction in which .a supporting rim is provided on 4the under .sideof a vessel, when this device is incorporated with the bottom ,wall ,of the vessel, this rim being-uninterrupted and comprising abetter means of support for the vessel than a non-continuous rim, or legs, or a wide'at surface, as ordinarily provided in devices of this sort.

Another object of this invention, ancillary to the preceding object, isto provide an uninterrupted rim portion which seats flat upon a floor or other support, preventing accumulation of undesired matter under the vessel, it being understood that in laboratory installations of such vessels, in large kitchens, and the like, this aid to cleanliness is an important feature.

A further object of the invention is to fit a dished vessel or receptacle of pan-like form into a corresponding pan-like base plate with the two constructed of sheet metal and to extrude or otherwise form hollow, channel-shaped ribs in the base plate for jointed association with the wall of the vessel or receiver to thus provide a free steam circulating jacket which is usable as the stated hot pad and wherein circuitous passages are provided for uniform and signifies. (o1. 'zeef-208i effective circulation of vthesteam to .thus aprevent buckling ordistortion of the coacting parts,

whereby `to provide a :construction in which manufacturers and users will .find their respective requirements and needs effectively met and contained. l v

Then, too, noveltyis .predicated `upon the :marginal flanged ribbed .platehavingrflat crown portions .on the ribs with the wall iof the vessel or receiver preferably Y,flat and Vin intimate resting contact .with vsaid rflat icrown portions and wherein said wall has anv endless marginal flange fitting :telescopically `into the corresponding flange on the. base plate, thus providing: a strong, reliable `and economical circulator unit which may be usedfas stated, as a hot pad -forvwarm'ng foods andthe like in kitchens or may vbeused in whatever other line of enf deavor a `steam-circulating, heat radiating unit is conveniently `and'V aptly usable.

With these objects denitely 1n View, this iinvention residesin certain novel features of -construction, combination and arrangement of elementsand portions as will Abe hereinafter described in detail inthe specification, particularly pointed out in Athefappended claims land `illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a material part of this application, and. in which: 1

lllgureil is -a top plan view of a--vessel of sink character with this invention applied thereto;

Figures 2 and 3 are vertical .transversesectional views, taken on -the corresponding section lines 2-2 and v.3--3 in Figure l.; and

Figure 4 isa fragmentary view, `in perspective, of sections of the above referred to vessel-and the-parts hereinafter referred to generally vas the plates.

Similar Acharacters of Treference designate similar or 'identical elements and portions throughoutthespecication and throughout the .different views in the drawing.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, this invention is adapted to be used with an environment including a vessel such as that indicated generally at I9. To exemplify the invention, there is illustrated a vessel l0 of sink character, although it will be understood that the exact configuration of the vessel is immaterial in this invention.

The vessel I0 is illustrated as having vertical rim wall I2 and a flat bottom wall I4. The vessel l will. also ordinarily have an outlet which may Vcomprise an aperture with a downwardly pressed rim I6.

While it will be understood that this device may be incorporated with a vertical wall of a vessel, the invention is illustrated as combined with the bottom wall I4, and the bottom wall I4 comprises an element in this invention, used with the plate generally indicated at I8. The plate I8 has an aperture designed to register with the outlet aperture in the vessel I0, and a rim portion I9 will be provided and sealed, as by welding or otherwise with the rimv I6 of the vessel, as clearly indicated in Figure 2. The plate I8 will have a ange disposed peripherally of the plate and oongurated to conform with the portion of the vessel Ill whereon the plate is to be secured, the method of securement being ordinarily welding, although any other type of close seal may be employed. The plate I8 is provided with a plurality of preferably parallel channel portions 22 which will be integral with the main portion of the plate and which will ordinarily comprise struck-up portions' of the central portion of the plate. The bight parts 24 of the channel portions 22 will be flat and thesebight parts will be rigidly secured or at least closely sealed to the wall I4 of the vessel. y

A labyrinthal chamber is denedbetween the plate I8 and the wall I4, and it is important that these spaces between the channel portions 22 be in communicationfwith eachother. With this in view, the channel portions 22 are reduced at each end, as indicated at 26, with the result that a continuousrim 28 is provided in the plate I8, and a channel 30 extends across each end of the channel portions 22 to connect the spaces between the channel portions and to allow steam to circulate within the said' chamber.

A steam inlet 32- and a steam outlet 34, ordinarily comprising merely nipples rigidly secured to the plate I 8, between adjacent channel portions 22, will necessarily be provided in order'that live steam may be introduced into and withdrawn from the said chamber, a source of such steam being not illustrated in the drawings, since this is not a part of the presentI invention. A baiile 36 will be provided in the chamber and positioned as best illustrated in Figure l to insure that the steam, upon entering the chamber, does not ow directly toward the steam outlet but is forced to travel a circuitous route through the chamber.

The operation of this invention will be clearly understood from a consideration of the foregoing description of the mechanical details thereof, taken in connection'with the drawings and with the above recitation of the objects of this invention, Vand further description would appear unnecessary.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In combination, a sheet metal plate having an upstanding iiange circumscribing the entire marginal edge portions of the plate, the body porly decreased in cross-section and merging with said body portion at points inwardly of and spaced from said flange, said ribs providing steam circulating spaces between one another and a marginal steam circulating space between the respective end portions of the ribs and said marginal ange,

- a vessel embodying an imperforate sheet metal wall disposed within the bounding confines of said ange, resting rmly atop the flat crown portions of said ribs and having its marginal portions welded to corresponding portions of said flange and providing a closed free steam circulating passage between itself and said plate, means for introducing steam into said passage at one corner of the latter, means for discharging the steam at a remote corner of the passage, and a steam directing baille interposed between said `plate and Wall and confined to a place of proximity to said steam-introducing means. Y

2. The structure defined in claim 1, said Wall being flat and having an upstanding marginal wall ttingtelescopically into and welded to said flange.

3. The structure dened in claim 2, and said plate having anelevated annulus defining an opening, saidl wall having a depressed annulus superimposed on and seamed to said first annulus and also dening an opening, said openings registering with each other.

ANGELO COLONNA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

l UNITED STATES PATENTS Number OTHER REFERENCES ser.v No. 389,131, Hintze (A. P. 0.), published May 25,1943. 

